Finding into death of Shuyang Wang
Deceased
Shuyang Wang
Demographics
24y, male
Date of death
2023-12-28
Finding date
2025-10-14
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
Shuyang Wang, a 24-year-old international student from China, drowned at Rosebud Beach on 28 December 2023 after entering the water on an improperly inflated kayak without a personal flotation device. Wang was unable to swim and had no water safety experience. He and a friend paddled to the end of a 300-metre pier, where the kayak drifted due to wind. Despite helicopter rescue efforts, Wang entered the water and drowned at approximately 4-metre depth. The coroner found the death preventable, attributing it to Wang's decision to enter water without appropriate safety equipment despite his swimming inability. The coroner rejected suggestions that helicopter rotor downwash contributed to the incident. Key clinical lessons: this case emphasizes preventive health messaging for vulnerable populations (international students, CALD communities) regarding water safety risks, and highlights disparities in drowning rates among culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- No personal flotation device worn
- Improperly inflated kayak
- Unable to swim
- Inexperienced around water
- Underestimation of risk
- Wind conditions causing kayak drift
Coroner's recommendations
- Victorian Water Safety Coordination Forum with Emergency Management Victoria and Life Saving Victoria to develop a suitable instrument, subplan or equivalent framework that clearly articulates roles, responsibilities, arrangements and accountability for risk assessment, prevention, operational preparedness and incident control in relation to drowning prevention
- Victorian Water Safety Coordination Forum prioritise data-sharing to fully understand the burden of non-fatal drowning among CALD communities
- Department of Justice and Community Safety and Department of Treasury and Finance review current campaign spending to enable increased reach of water safety messaging in line with current at-risk priority target audiences
- Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions work together with Life Saving Victoria and other relevant agencies to include safety warnings and messages in its promotion of aquatic locations
Full text
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